The newspaper claims that Google may enact its plans as early as the spring, though it is working through the details to prevent any unintentional consequences, such as firms stifling their competition.

It is thought that limiting funding to sites hosting pirated material or links to pirated material could rid them from the web without Google having to alter its search algorithms.

Funding may also be blocked to websites who do not respond to legal challenges.

Visa and Pay-Pal did not give a comment on the matter, but MasterCard said: "MasterCard takes online safety and security seriously.

"We work closely with our partners to ensure the best possible experience when using electronic payments."